Cold
by bbtdgfan882
Summary: Bitter weather brings back bitter memories. A brief argument between Gray and Lucy sends Gray storming out the guild. A painful revelation enlightens Lucy, and she rushes to find Gray. Written for GraLu Week Day 3: "Concern".


Hello, this is bbtdgfan882, with, yet again, another GrayLu story! This one is for Day 3 of GrayLu Week, for the prompt "Concern". Gray is a bit more emotional in this story than he normally is in the Fairy Tail series, but I think this still turned out pretty well. Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

Lucy rushed through the doors of the guild hall. It was a particularly cold day, and she did not dress appropriately for the weather.

"Hey, Lucy!" Natsu greeted her from the middle of the hall.

"H-hey, N-Natsu," she stammered, still shivering. She staggered over to where he was sitting with Erza, Gray, and Wendy.

"Lucy, are you cold?" Wendy asked.

"Y-yeah, it's p-pretty br-brutal out there," said Lucy.

"Tch, maybe you shout have put something actually warm on," Gray uttered bluntly.

"Excuse me?" Lucy flared up. "Like you're one to talk! You're not even wearing anything at all!"

Erza looked at Gray, and her eye twitched. Lucy was right. Gray only had his boxers on. "Gray," Erza started, but Gray wasn't paying her any attention.

"But do you hear me complaining about how cold it is?" he yelled at Lucy.

"What does that have to do with anything?" she shouted back. They glared at each other from across the table.

"Tch, whatever. I'm out of here." Gray started heading for the door.

"Don't forget your clothes!" Lucy sneered.

Gray gathered up his garments into his arms. "Bye," his voice was cold. He stormed out of the guild.

Lucy stood there for a moment, seething, before sitting back down. "What's his problem?" she griped.

"I'm not sure. He didn't seem like he was in a good mood when he came in this morning," Erza said.

"Maybe the ice princess woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Natsu said.

Lucy let out a frustrated sigh. "That doesn't mean he needs to take it out on the rest of us."

"Actually, I think he was just taking it out on you. He was perfectly fine until you got here," Natsu deadpanned.

"I believe it was around this time last year that Gray first came to Fairy Tail," Makarov broke in. "I remember him asking me how to free his old master from the Iced Shell spell."

Lucy's eyes widened, realization dawning on her. Memories of Galuna Island flooded her mind: Gray's stun-stricken face when he saw the Deliora, listening to his story about Ur, his determination to stop Lyon. "Oh…" she whispered.

"What does that have to do with- Lucy!"Natsu shouted after her. Lucy ignored him as she ran out the guild hall and into the still harsh, freezing day.

* * *

Lucy ran all through Magnolia searching for Gray. She glanced into every shop and restaurant she passed and checked all his favorite places. Her skin stung from the cold, and her fingertips were already going numb. She thought it couldn't get any worse when the wind picked up, and the clouds over head began raining down.

_This is bad_, she thought. Her legs were freezing, her whole body was, and it was getting harder for her to move. She looked to her right and saw a small apartment building. _Maybe if anyone's home, they'll let me stay for a while. IT couldn't hurt to try_.

She trudged up to the door and knocked. She heard movement from inside the apartment and almost sighed with relief. A few seconds later, the door opened, and there was Gray, standing there, mildly surprised.

Lucy's eyes widened in surprise. Gray looked miserable. His eyes were red, and tear trails glistened on his cheeks.

"What are you doing here?" his voice was dead.

Lucy's face softened with sympathy. "I was looking for you, but I didn't know where you lived. It got too cold for me to stay outside, so I was hoping that whoever lives here wouldn't mind letting me stay for a while. I didn't know this is where you lived," she explained.

Gray shifted his eyes past Lucy, for once noticing the harsh weather. His yanked Lucy inside his apartment. He sighed "I guess I can't let you stay out there."

Lucy smiled slightly at him. "Thanks, Gray."

He led her into the living area and sat down on the couch, gesturing for her to follow suit. They were silent for a moment before Gray spoke. "So what are you doing here?"

Lucy looked at Gray with concern in her eyes. "It was around this time, years ago, that you lost Ur, wasn't it?"

Gray's eyes widened at Lucy's words. "How did you know?"

"Master said something about it. As soon as he told us, I came running to find you," her voice softened.

Gray, who had moved to the edge of the couch, collapsed onto the floor. Tears began flooding down his face. Once recovered from her shock, Lucy scrambled onto the floor and through her arms around Gray. She pulled him up into her arms and held onto him more tightly. Gray sobbed against Lucy's chest, holding her as snuggly as she held him, his tears never relenting.

Lucy dared not to let any tears of her own fall. She tried to remain strong, strong enough to help Gray through this painful moment. She patted his head, rubbed his back, occasionally tightened her hold on him, and let him cry it all out.

He cried for hours. There were times when he would calm down a little, only to break again before too long. When he finally relented, he looked up at Lucy apologetically. "S-sorry about that," his voice shook.

Lucy's eyes were filled with nothing but understanding. "Has it ever gotten this bad for you?" she asked.

Gray shook his head. "This is probably the first time since it's happened that I cried that much. It's the first time that the weather around this time was just like it was all those years ago when Ur sacrificed herself to defeat the Deliora. It took me years to realize that what happened wasn't entirely my fault, but it still gets to me. But, no, it's never gotten this bad. I'm really sorry you had to see that, Lucy," his voice strained at the end.

"Gray…" Lucy breathed. "I didn't mind at all. You know that if you ever need me, I'm here for you," she smiled gently.

Gray smiled back. "Thanks, Lucy."

Lucy looked at the clock on the wall. "It's pretty late. I guess I better get going." She started to get up, but Gray lightly gripped her arm. "Gray?"

Gray was silent for a moment. "Would you mind staying with me tonight?" he asked timidly.

A soft smile adorned Lucy's face. She sat down on the couch, pulling Gray up to sit with her and wrapping her arms around him, Gray embraced her and buried his face in the crook between her neck and shoulder.

"I'll stay as long as you need me," she said.

* * *

I hope you guys enjoyed this story. Like I said, I know that Gray is a lot more emotional here than he really is in the series. Anyways, I'd love to hear some feedback from you guys. See you guys around! bb - out.


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